The present invention relates generally to bicycles and, in particular, to bicycle rental systems and, more particularly, to a bicycle tracking and communication system for a bicycle rental system.
Automated bicycle rental systems have become increasingly popular. Such rental systems typically include a number of rental stations located across a city or other location. The rental stations typically include one or more bicycle stands or racks for supporting a number of rentable bicycles. The bicycles are secured to the bicycle stands by a locking mechanism such that the bicycles are incapable of being removed until payment or identification for the rental of one of the bicycles is recognized.
The bicycle stands are typically in electronic communication with a rental kiosk or the like. Users of the rental system use the rental kiosk or other means to provide payment and/or identification information for renting one of the bicycles for temporary use. Once the electronic means of the kiosk verifies the payment and/or identification, the kiosk enables the user the remove one of the bicycles secured to the bicycle stand by unlocking the locking mechanism. Thus, the user is free to take the bicycle and ride it from place to place. When the user is finished riding the bicycle, he or she returns the bicycle to one of the bicycle stations and secures the bicycle to the bicycle stand for subsequent use by another user.
Known bicycle rental systems suffer from a number of disadvantages. For example, bicycles may be removed from one location and returned to a different location. Thus, a given location may be depleted of bicycles while another kiosk may be filled to capacity when a user returns a bicycle. In either case, the user is inconvenienced by either not being able to rent a bicycle or not being able to return a bicycle to a given location.
Furthermore, certain bicycles may be used more or less often for a variety of reasons resulting in uneven wear and tear across a fleet of bicycles. In addition, bicycles may be disabled, out of service for a number of reasons such as maintenance, vandalized, stolen, or otherwise not returned to a location. Further, bicycles may be used beyond a predetermined usage area, time limit, or distance limit.
Therefore, there is a need to provide a bicycle rental system having a tracking system and communication hub that is configured to overcome at least one of the foregoing disadvantages